VIDEO: Raina got the best birthday gift he could have asked for

Not everyone is fortunate to get invited by your idol on birthday. Well, Suresh Raina had this privilege! Raina who turned 31 on November 27, was invited by Sachin to celebrate his birthday. Suresh, Priyanka, and their little angel Gracia spend a good time with The Master Blaster.

“It was a pleasure having @ImRaina, Priyanka, and the adorable Gracia over for lunch today. #HappyBirthdayRaina Have a good one!” Sachin posted a pic on Twitter wishing Raina a very happy 31st birthday.

Others India cricketers including Sehwag, Bumrah, and VVS Laxman also sent their wishes and love via Twitter.

When the Indian team management made the Yo-Yo test a mandatory requirement to get into the Indian team, one cricketer who was left out for failing to match the fitness standards was Suresh Raina. There were reports that he has gained weight and is not as agile as he used to be in 2011-12. Raina is now nowhere in the scheme of things. He has even lost the central contract.

It was such a pleasure meeting you paji @sachin_rt, have always admired you and your positivity and celebrating my birthday with you was really special !!✌️💪❤️👌 pic.twitter.com/SA0Pwr8gf7

But since his exclusion from the side, he has been sweating out in the gym. His Instagram account is full of workout videos which will give you fitness goals. He came to Mumbai in September to work on his fitness. There he met Sachin and received some valuable insights on the game. Thereafter he headed to Chennai to play Buchi Babu tournament. He failed to make a big impact on Duleep Trophy as well.

Raina last played for India on 1 February 2017 in a T20I against England at Bangalore. However, his last ODI appearance came on 25 October 2015 against South Africa in Mumbai, a game remembered for South Africa’s massive 438 in first innings.

Raina didn’t have the best ODI series against South Africa back then. He has been out of side since then. He was picked for ODI series against New Zealand last year but missed games due to sickness, eventually losing his place in the side to Kedar Jadhav. With Rahane in sublime touch, Dinesh Karthik making his mark, Raina has his tasks cut out if he has to cement his place again.

A veteran of 223 ODIS, Raina has scored 5568 runs at an average of 35. He is also the first batsman to score hundreds in all 3 formats for India.